


Elizabeth 3rd

by Ely



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Animal Death, F/M, Spoilers for 707's Route, Spoilers for Jumin's Route, spoilers for Yoosung's after ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-16 01:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9268514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ely/pseuds/Ely
Summary: Elizabeth 3rd is ill and getting worse by the day, forcing Jumin to make the hardest decision of his life.





	

**Author's Note:**

> see tags for spoiler warnings.  
> also, I never really write in first person so this was strange to write.

It started out slowly. A tumour on her neck. It couldn’t be removed because it was too close to her windpipe for a safe operation, but its growth could be slowed and controlled with the right medication.

A small bottle. Three drops on her food every evening. Her appetite changed dramatically day by day. Some days she begged for food at the top of her lungs, jumping on the counter when Jumin was attempting to make pancakes and trying to get to the milk. Other days she barely ate at all.

It was obvious how worried Jumin was. He didn’t speak about it, but I could see the anxiety in his eyes as he watched her eating. He was too nervous to give her the medicine himself, terrified of doing it wrong, despite the fact it wasn’t too difficult. One day he decided to try, but his hands were shaking too much to even remove the lid of the bottle.

She seemed in good spirits, not at all distressed by the tumour which stuck out at an awkward angle.

I’ll never forget the panic and horror in Jumin’s eyes when one day she bashed it against something and it started bleeding. She didn’t seem to be in much pain – in fact, she barely seemed to notice – but the scarlet stains against her white fur was enough to send Jumin into full panic mode and call his private vet, as well as Yoosung now that he was a qualified veterinarian, to ask for advice.

Yoosung was helpful throughout, but said that ultimately there wasn’t much we could do. She was a pedigree, which naturally meant her immune system would be worse. We could only hope that she would be strong enough to survive a little longer.

She was fighting it well.

After a few weeks, she started smelling. It was a strange, sharp smell which stabbed right up into the nose and pushed tears out of your eyes. Jumin didn’t care. If anything, he held her closer.

It soon became evident that the tumour was now growing. She had started making a strange, hoarse, slurping noise when she ate. The kind of noise that makes your stomach churn and puts you off your food.

Jumin begged the vet to try and remove the tumour, but there was absolutely no way of getting it out without damaging her windpipe, which would kill her.

Within the space of two days it suddenly spread to the other side of her neck, and a lump started protruding out of her fur on the other side too. It was quickly becoming evident she didn’t have much longer left.

It was always obvious when she was nearby. It wasn’t just the overpowering smell anymore, it was the panting, ragged breaths coming out of her mouth. Jumin didn’t cry, but he was unbelievably tense and constantly stressed, and he decided to take time off work so he could spend it with her.

She still seemed happy. She didn’t seem to care that she smelt disgusting or that her breathing was laboured or that she had started drooling over everything, making the entire house smell.

She had her good days, and she had her bad days. She was rapidly losing weight, but some days she acted as she had before the tumour made an appearance. She ran around the place, jumping on the counter especially to annoy me, begging for the tap to be switched on so she could drink directly from it, jumping on top of an open door and balancing shakily as Jumin tried to get her down. On the bad days, she barely left Jumin’s bed or her basket, curling up into a small, fragile looking ball and whimpering in her sleep.

Jumin wasn’t in the chatroom often, but I kept the rest of the RFA updated. Zen didn’t even complain that the cat was almost all we were talking about, despite the fact his allergy probably acted up at least three or four times a day. Jaehee showed some remorse for the times she’d complained about having to look after her, confessing that, despite the fur, Elizabeth was actually a very well behaved cat. She didn’t even complain about Jumin’s absence from work, though I didn’t doubt it was taking a toll on the company and her workload. Yoosung seemed to regret the fact he didn’t know Elizabeth well, and regularly helped me with the smaller details of what to do to help her. It quickly became evident that Saeyoung’s love for ‘his Elly’ had been genuine. He was clearly upset, and sometimes even left the chatroom without saying goodbye. I didn’t doubt that he was having a hard time. Saeran wasn’t very vocal about the matter, but what he said had less of a bite to it than usual. He had looked after Elizabeth for a few days at Mint Eye, after all, and if he was anything like his brother (which, as much as he denied it, he was) he would probably have become attached to her in some way.

It was a Friday, and Elizabeth was looking the worst she had so far. I was sat with Jumin on the sofa, Elizabeth in his lap looking tinier and weaker than she ever had before.

“Jumin,” I spoke softly. “I don’t think this is fair on her.”

“No,” he said firmly. “No, she can make it through.”

“I… I don’t think she will,” I gulped. “She’s still happy, but she won’t be for much longer if she keeps going like this.”

“I…I can’t,” Jumin stumbled over his words, but he still didn’t cry. “She can’t.”

“You’ve been at home for the past week with her, and she’s loved every second of it,” I tell him, “but I think… I think it’s time to let her go.”

“I don’t… I don’t want…”

“I know,” I placed my hand gently on his arm as he rest his hand on Elizabeth’s once sleek, white fur. It had become more and more matted and dirty as she gradually lost the ability to clean herself. Her rasping breath filled the silence as Jumin battled with the options in his mind. Of course he didn’t want her to die, but it wasn’t fair to keep her going like this. It would be better to put her down while she was still herself rather than for her to suffer, and her death potentially be dragged out for hours.

“I want Yoosung to do it,” he said suddenly. “Tomorrow. Before I… before I change my mind.”

“I’ll call him.” I squeezed his arm, pressing my lips to his cheek for a moment before standing and going to the other room. I tapped Yoosung’s number and he picked up after the second ring.

“Hi, is everything alright?” he asked immediately.

“Yes… well, no,” I sighed, running my hand through my hair and sighing shakily. “We need to have her put down.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said in a small voice. “Really, I am. I know how much she means to both of you.”

“Yeah,” I gulped, trying not to let the tears escape from my eyes. “But… Jumin wants you to be the one to do it. I don’t think he wants a stranger to… you know…”

“Of course,” Yoosung said without hesitation. “Yes, that’s completely fine. When did you want me to do it?”

“Would… would you be able to get what you need by tomorrow? He says he wants it to be done before he has the chance to change his mind.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I have a late shift tonight so I can get something. I’ll have to sedate her an hour beforehand too so that she doesn’t struggle and hurt herself. Do you think you’ll be able to hold her still as I do it all?”

“Yeah,” I said. It would be difficult, and I knew I would cry, but I doubted Jumin would be able to hold her. “Thank you so much, Yoosung. It really means a lot to us.”

“No problem,” Yoosung paused for a moment, “Do you think… do you think Jumin would mind if the RFA visited later? Just to say goodbye. I don’t know about Zen, but Jaehee mentioned how she’d like to see her one last time. I know Saeyoung will want to see her, too. And probably Saeran. And me.”

“I… I’ll have to ask Jumin.” I knew the company would probably be good for him, but I wasn’t sure whether he’d want it.

“Of course, just shoot me a text.”

“I’ll never be able to thank you enough, Yoosung.”

“It’s okay,” he said solemnly. “I hope you can take care of Jumin. I’ll let you get back to him now.”

“Okay, goodbye.”

“See you soon.”

The phone beeped to signal the end of the call and I let my arm drop to my side limply.

I had owned cats throughout my life, which meant, naturally, I had seen some of them die. I knew Jumin would need comfort from others. I just hoped he would accept it.

I headed back into the living room, where Jumin was still sitting with Elizabeth on his lap, stroking her gently and humming softly. Whether it was to soothe her or himself, I didn’t know. I don’t think he did either. Her side was rising and falling softly in time with her small breaths.

“Jumin,” I said quietly, sitting next to him. He didn’t respond to my voice, continuing to hum and stare at Elizabeth. “Yoosung said he’d do it.”

“Good.” Jumin’s voice sounded emotionless, but I knew better.

“He asked whether… whether you’d be okay with him and the RFA coming here tonight to see her.”

“Really?” Jumin finally looked at me. His eyes were hopelessly sad, but he still wasn’t crying. “All of them?”

“I don’t know about Zen, but Jaehee and Saeyoung want to come. Saeran will probably come with Saeyoung too, but only if you want them all here.”

“I… okay,” Jumin breathed. “They can come over.”

 

_You have entered the chatroom_

**Jaehee Kang:** Is everything okay?

 **Jaehee Kang:** Yoosung explained what’s happening.

 **Yoosung** **★** **:** Does he want us to come over?

 **You:** Yeah, if that’s okay

 **Jaehee Kang:** Of course!

_Saeyoung has left the chatroom_

**Yoosung** **★** **:** Saeran, is he okay?

 **Saeran:** Not really. I’ll go talk to him.

_Saeran has left the chatroom_

**Jaehee Kang:** I’ll go and call Zen and let him know.

 **You:** Do you think he’ll come?

 **Jaehee Kang:** Maybe. I’ll have to ask.

 **Jaehee Kang:** See you in a bit.

_Jaehee Kang has left the chatroom_

**You:** Thank you again, Yoosung

 **Yoosung** **★** **:** It’s the least I could do.

 **Yoosung** **★** **:** I’ll head over to the Choi’s and we’ll come along together.

 **You:** Ok. See you soon.

 **Yoosung** **★** **:** See you soon.

 _Yoosung_ _★_ _has left the chatroom_

_You have left the chatroom_

Jaehee arrived after about an hour, and I let her into the penthouse. I noticed her wrinkle her nose at the vile smell before she looked apologetically at me. I’d grown somewhat accustomed to it, but it wasn’t exactly the kind of thing you could ignore entirely.

“It’s okay,” I said, as I pulled her into a hug. “It does smell awful. I’ll open a few windows.”

Jaehee headed over to where Jumin was sitting and sat next to him a little awkwardly as I opened some of the windows. There was no danger of Elizabeth jumping out and escaping – not while she was like this.

A security guard alerted me to three more guests, and I told him to allow them in. Yoosung came through first and immediately pulled me into his arms without a word. Next, Saeran shuffled through the door. He had dark circles under his eyes, which wasn’t out of character, but he looked noticeably paler and there were faint red rings around his eyes, possibly from crying. He gave me an awkward half-smile, not taking his hands out his pockets as he followed Yoosung through. Next was Saeyoung. He looked dead on his feet, his eyes red, his hair a mess, his entire body exhausted. I dragged him into a hug, pulling him down a little to cradle his head so he could bury his face into the crook of my neck. I half-expected him to cry, but he didn’t.

“Thank you for letting me come,” he whispered in such a sad voice it broke my heart. I didn’t have a chance to respond before he pulled away and headed over to the others.

“Mrs. Han?” the security guard tapped my shoulder. “There’s another guest.”

_Zen._

“Let him through.”

He walked into the room, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

“I took a bunch of allergy tablets Yoosung recommended, but my nose is still itching,” he explained, rubbing his eyes.

“Don’t rub your eyes, it’ll only make it worse,” I suggested. “Especially if you get fur on your hands.”

“I can’t believe I’m here,” he said, more to himself than to me. We walked over to where Jumin and the other four sat. Jumin was on the sofa with Jaehee and Saeran on either side. Saeyoung was sitting on the floor directly in front of Jumin, and Yoosung was next to him, his legs crossed. Saeyoung was saying something as I approached with Zen.

“…never meant to hurt her, you know that, right?” his voice was weak. Jumin nodded stiffly. I could tell he was trying not to fall apart.

“Hey,” Zen said quietly, and everyone looked up at him in shock, even Jumin.

“Zen?” he said in surprise. “You’re here too?”

“Yeah,” he said. He seemed to have something more to say but his words died in his throat and he sat down next to Jaehee, putting as much distance between him and Elizabeth as he politely could. I took the spot on the floor next to Saeyoung.

She was so small. Almost impossibly so. She looked as though she might shatter if she were touched. Her spine and ribcage were prominent, even when curled up in a ball. Her fur was dirty, and the lump stuck out both sides of her neck. She was incredibly unpleasant to look at, but no one commented on that, or the terrible smell. They just told Jumin how beautiful she was and how happy she seemed. Even Zen.

That night, I lay next to Jumin as Elizabeth slept between us, curled up against Jumin’s stomach as we faced each other. I reached out and brushed his cheek with my fingertips, only meaning to leave them there for a second, but he grabbed my hand and pressed it against his face, screwing his eyes shut.

“It’s okay to cry,” I told him.

“I don’t want to. Not yet,” he shook his head, taking a deep breath and opening his eyes to look at me. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said, feeling my heart break at the weight of the sadness in his grey eyes.

The next day, Yoosung arrived at midday, and I held Elizabeth as he injected her with the sedative. She yowled softly, and Jumin turned away, unable to look.

“This might make her sleepy, but it could have no obvious effect. Even so, it’ll help,” he explained.

The next hour was horrible. Yoosung, Jumin and I sat in mostly silence as Elizabeth slept on Jumin’s lap, reminding us of her presence through her rasping breaths.

Eventually, Yoosung shifted a little on the sofa to signal the hour was up. He pulled out a needle and some scissors from his bag. He nodded to me, and I reached out to lift Elizabeth from Jumin’s lap and hold her in place on the sofa. Yoosung had placed a towel there, because he said her bladder might relax and empty itself.

“It’s okay, princess, everything’s going to be fine,” I told her as she meowed at me sleepily.

“Could you hold her front leg out for me?” Yoosung asked me, and I held it in place. He used the scissors to cut some of the fur on her leg for easier access. She only struggled slightly. Yoosung placed the scissors down and picked up the needle. “Are you ready?” he asked.

Suddenly Jumin stood up. “Let me know when you’re done,” he said. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought the coldness in his voice meant he didn’t care.

“Wait!” I protested, glancing at Yoosung meaningfully. He nodded, guilt and sadness filling his eyes as he placed the needle down, reaching out to pet Elizabeth so she didn’t move. I grabbed hold of Jumin’s arm as he headed towards the door.

“What?” he snapped, spinning around to face me.

“You have to stay,” I choked out.

“I don’t want to.”

“You _have_ to, you don’t understand.”

“I… I won’t be able to handle it,” he confessed, his steel mask finally breaking.

“You’ll regret it if you don’t stay. I promise you,” I started rambling desperately, “When one of my cats was put down a few years ago, my parents told me I should leave the room but I refused. I stayed with her until the very end. And I’m so glad I did. I would change a hell of a lot of things in my life if I could, Jumin, but as much as that hurt to experience, I would never change that,” my voice dropped to a whisper. “It’s the closure you need.”

Jumin stared at me and I stared straight back.

“Okay.” His voice cracked.

We headed back to where Yoosung and Elizabeth were waiting, and I resumed my position holding her. Jumin placed his hand on her, stroking her as Yoosung picked up the needle.

“It’ll be quick,” Yoosung mumbled.

My vision was fuzzy, but I watched as he pressed the needle into her skin. She meowed in protest, and I felt her attempt to tug her paw away, but I held her fragile body as tightly as I could without hurting her. Yoosung pressed down on the needle to inject it into her, and within the space of a second, I felt her go limp in my arms.

That’s when Jumin finally cried.

I gently lay her on the towel as Yoosung put away his equipment. He then reached for her face and closed her eyes.

“I’ll see you soon,” Yoosung whispered. I didn’t miss how his voice shook slightly as he stood and quietly left.

As soon as he was gone, I stood up and cradled Jumin’s head against my chest as he cried more than I’d seen him cry in the four years I’d known him. His hand was still on Elizabeth, and his sobs wracked through his entire body, making him shake uncontrollably as his free hand gripped hold of my shirt desperately. I didn’t care that his tears were soaking into my skin. My own tears fell silently down my cheeks. It made it worse that he was crying quietly – it made it feel more real, and I could feel my heart breaking at the sound of his jagged breaths as he emptied the emotions he’d been storing up for weeks now.

I kissed the top of his head gently, stroking his hair.

“It’ll be okay,” I told him. “You gave her an amazing life. She was so happy.”

Eventually Jumin composed himself enough to pull away. He was still crying, but they weren’t the same, soul-shaking sobs from before. He finally removed his hand from her after stroking her one last time, and I wrapped the towel around her body. Her head poked out the top, and Jumin noticed how her small, pink tongue was sticking out slightly. He let out a short, hysterical burst of laughter at the sight.

“She always did forget to put away her tongue after washing herself.”

I smiled sadly as I lifted her, placing her in her basket.

We carried the basket down to the garden, and I discreetly asked a security guard to find a shovel, which he promptly brought to us.

“Here,” Jumin said, pointing to a secluded spot on the ground, with a small bush overhanging it. I placed the basket on the ground, and dug the shovel into the earth, ready to start digging, but Jumin held out his hand, placing it on mine. “I… I would like to do it.”

I stood and watched something I never thought I’d see in my entire life: Jumin Han digging up dirt with a shovel. He piled it to the side, and after a few moments glanced down at the hole he had dug. He had a sheen of sweat covering his forehead and his hair and clothes were dishevelled. His appearance was so raw that for a moment my breath caught in my throat.

“Is this deep enough?” he asked, glancing to the bundle of towels in the basket on the ground, Elizabeth’s head still poking out the top. He smiled fondly, tears still rolling down his cheeks. “She’s only little.”

He crouched down and lifted her carefully, holding her close one last time, placing a kiss on her head.

“I love you,” he mumbled. I tried to blink away the tears, but the fell anyway. Jumin gently lowered her into the hole, looking at her one last time before standing up to cover her with the earth he’d piled next to the hole.

I clutched my arms against my chest, trying desperately to hold myself together for him. It was the most difficult thing I’d ever done in my life – seeing him so broken.

Once the hole was filled, he lay the shovel on the ground and immediately pulled me into his arms, burying his face in my hair. I could feel his tears falling against my scalp as mine soaked through his shirt.

When we went back to the penthouse, we got into bed and lay facing each other. He held my hands in his.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for making me stay with her.”

I nodded, squeezing his hand. He blinked heavily, his eyes exhausted from crying.

“Sleep,” I said just as quietly. “You deserve it.”

He nodded and let his eyes drift shut.

Elizabeth had meant so much to him, I knew that. I watched his seemingly peaceful face as he slept, promising myself that I would do whatever it took to get him through this.

He would be okay. We both would be.

**Author's Note:**

> I basically wrote this for myself to vent my feelings because my cat, Molly, died 2 days ago in pretty much the exact same way as this. It's kind of a tribute to her in that sense.  
> I know it's kind of rough around the edges, and it's not my best work but I don't want to read through it again.  
> I would say I hope you guys enjoyed it, but.....


End file.
